Pumping mechanism for self-playing musical instruments.



L. B. DOMAN.

PUMPING MECHANISM FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.20, 19x4.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0,. WASHINGTON, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

LEWIS B'. DOMAN! 0E A T SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To THE AMPHION PIANO rLAYER COMPANY, A coEro' ATIoN on NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rUMrING MEcHANISM- FOR SELF-PLAYING MUsIcAL INSTRUMENTS.

Patented Aug". 10, 1915.

Application filed March 20, 1914. Serial No. 825,950.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIs B. DoMAN, of East Syracuse,-in thecounty of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pumping Mechanism for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following, takenin Connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear; andexact description.

I Thisinvention relates to certain improvements in pumping mechanism for self-playing musical instruments and refers more particularly to the relative association of separate wind-inducing devices of pneumatically operated instruments,- whereby either device maybe operated independently of the other through the medium of a windc'he'st common to both devices.

The main object is to enable the same instrument to be operated from separate sources of-power, as for example a pedal I operated windnducer an'd ag-motor driven wind-inducer, bothembodied 1n the same 111- strument in compact space and in such manner that either may be operated individually without in any way disturbing the assemblage of parts of the other deyice: 7

Another object is to enable the pedal 'mechanis'mto be folded .or adjusted into approximately the same plane as the motor driven bellows when not in use;

J Other objects and uses ielati-ng to specific parts of the apparatus will be brought out in the following description.

- In the drawing higure 1 is a front elevation or the combined windfinducing devices,'a portion or the front side of one of the motor driven bellows being broken away to show one of the interior valves.

line 22 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view-throughone of the bearings for themotor' driven countersh'aft for operatinp; the corresponding power'bel- "lows. I

chest -5 which communicates with their respective power bellows through air passages -6 and 7.

These power feeders are made in the form or bellows and are disposed side by side in an upright position, the pedal-operated feeders being arranged in one plane at the rear of the wind-chest 5-. while the motor operated feeders are arranged in another plane at the front of said wind-chest. a The pedal operated bellows *1? have the lower ends of their stationary'sides rigidly secured to a foot bracket or base 8. in the lower part of the instrument case, as A, said bellows being provided with movable sides 3- hinged at their-upper ends to the stationary inner sides so asxto per-- niit their lower ends to be moved backward and forward by suitable pedal mechanism hereinafter described.

The motor driven bellows TQi have heir rear stationary sides rigidly securedito the front face of the wind-chest 5.+ which is supported by the stationary. inner wall or and are provided with addipflssages com- 'municating with the atmosphere in a space .hl2,between the separate sets of bellows and below the wind-chest -...5. Fig.2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on manner with a player action, not shown, said valves closingautomatically by the collapse of their corresponding bellows to prevent reentrance of an: into and Wind-chest Sum r 19- and 22 lar valves -15 and 16 are provided for the inner ends of the ports 10 and 11 to open said ports automatically and allow the escape of air from their interiors to the atmosphere when they are collapsed and to prevent reentrance of the air into the bellows when they are distended. It, therefore, follows that these bellows operate as suction pumps to withdraw air from the interior of the wind-chest 5 for the purpose of maintaining a partial vacuum in the action referred to.

The pedal-operated bellows, of which there are two, are of relatively large area as compared with that of the motor driven bellows -'2, but'this difference in area is compensated for by increasing the number of the motor driven bellows, of which there are six, arranged in groups of three each, some distance apart at opposite ends of the wind-chest to permit the operation and folding of the pedal mechanism. This pedal mechanism comprises a pair of pedals .17 arranged side by side and hinged at their lower ends to a cross-bar 18, their upper ends being pivotally connected to the front ends of links -19, which, in turn, are pivotally connected to suitable brackets 20 on the lower ends of the movable sides of their respective bellows -1, the cross-bar 18' being mounted at its opposite ends upon suitable supporting feet or legs 21 adapted to rest upon the floor in front of the case A when the pedal mechanism is adjusted for use.

' The legs -21- are pivotally connected to the front ends of a pair of links 22 which, in turn, are pivotally connected at their rear ends to brackets 23-- on the front stationary sides'of the bellows 1- near their lower ends so as to permit the entire pedal mechanism, including the links and pedals 17- to be folded upwardly and rearwardly between and in substantially thersame plane as the opposite groups of motor driven bellows 2, to which position said mechanism would be adjusted when not in use.

7 When the pedal mechanism is adjusted for use, the operation of the pedals serves to distend their respective bellows 1 against the action of a retracting spring 24, but when folded upwardly and rearwardly to the inoperative positions he in close proximity to the front face of the wind-chest -5 between the opposite groups of motor driven bellows 2- with sufiicient clearance to allow the adjacent motor driven bellows to be operated without interference with. any part of the pedal mechanism. p

' The wind-chest c5extends across the front faces of the pedal operated bellows B -1 and across the backs of the motor driven bellows 2 and is of sufficient length to receive and support an equalizer 25 at one side of and in substantially the same plane as the pedal bellows and also communicating with the wind-chest throu h suitable ports similar to the ports 6- or equalizing the air tension in the action, in a manner well known to those skilled in this art, the equalizer being of substantially the same height as that of the pedal operated bellows.

The motor bellows 2- preferably extend some distance above the wind-chest and pedal operated bellows 1 and may be driven by any suitable motor driven mechanism comprising, in this instance a rotary shaft 26 journaled in suitable bearings 27 lengthwise of and above the windchest 5 and pedal-operated bellows l at the rear of the bellows 2 and provided with a pulley 28 adapted to be connected to an electric motor or other power driven device, said shaft being provided with a plurality of bellows-actuators, as eccentrics 29, rigid thereon, one for each'of the bellows 2 and each operating upon :or against a contact plate 30 carried by the movable side of the corresponding bellows. These contact members are yieldingly held in engagement with the peripheries of their respective cams or eccentrics by retracting springs -3l connected at one end to suitable shoulders 32- on the brackets and at their opposite ends to upstanding pins 33, which, together with the bearings 27, are supported upon rearwardly projecting arms 34L- of a stationary bracket 35, the latter being secured to the rear faces of the stationary sides of the bellows 2 or may be secured to any other fixed support forming a part of the wind-inducing device.

The bearings 27- are swiveled in yokes 36- adjusted by means of screw trunnions 37 to allow said bearings to automatically adjust themselves in alinement with the shaft, the yokes 36 being provided with spindles 38 adjustable vertically and rotarily in suitable sockets or bearings 39 in the arms 34- to additionally. facilitate the proper adjustment and alinement of the shaft, the yokes being held in their adjustable position by set screws 40.

' It will be seen from the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing that the entire wind-inducing device, comprising both sets of power bellows and their operating mechanisms, are assembled as a unit and as such are capable of being easily and quickly installed within a compact space in the case of the instrument and while I have shown a definite number in each group and spaced apart a suflicient distance to receive the pedal mechanism between them, I do not wish to limit myself to any particular number of motor driven bellows, nor to the division of such bellows into groups.

Furthermore, I do not wish to limit myself to the use of eccentrics for driving the motor-operated bellows as it is clearly evi* dent that other equivalent devices may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a self-playing musical instrument, a wind-chest, pumping bellows secured to the front of the wind-chest, a separate pumping bellows secured to the rear face of the wind-chest, and separate operating devices for said bellows.

2. In a self-playing musical instrument, a wind inducing device comprising a windchest, motor driven pumping bellows secured to one side of the wind-chest some dis tance apart to form an intervening pedalreceiving space, pedal operated pumping bellows secured to the opposite side of the Wind-chest, and pedal operated means for the last-named bellows movable into and on of said space.

3. In a self-playing musical instrument, a wind chest, a pedal-operated pumping bellows secured to the rear side of the wind chest and opening directly into the wind chest, a motor driven bellows secured to the front side of the wind chest and also communicating directly therewith.

4. In a self-playing musical instrument, the combination with a wind chest, pedaloperated pumping bellows secured to one side of the wind chest and communicating directly therewith, separate pumping bellows secured to the opposite side of the wind chest and also communicating directly therewith, a motor-driven shaft extending lengthwise of and above the wind chest, and pedal-operated pumping bellows, and means for transmitting motion from said shaft to said separate bellows.

5. In a self-playing musical instrument, a wind-chest, separate sets of pumping bellows secured to opposite sides of and communicating with the wind-chest, pedal mechanism for operating one set located in the vertical plane of the other set, and separate operating means for said other set.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of March, 1914.

LEWIS B. DOMAN.

Witnesses:

CLAUDE L. HAMLIN, MARGARET M. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. C. 

